From what I understand Dunlap was a college coach, he had no experience dealing with professional players. He knew how to deal with young kids who needed him to get them through school and did everything he told them to do. Apparently he struggled to relate to older (and some younger) professional players who were used to being treated as if not equals, at least adults.

Dunlap was a youth coach. All of the Veteran's of the Sixers basically got the arse.

Sixers had a pretty good team at the time; and "giving the young guns a go" took over the "play the best lineup you've got" routine most coaches do.

Was a mixed bag of results. Good news is that Maher stepped up and became "the man".

What Nutwork said is pretty spot on. He was a college coach and he was all about the younger players.

The dumping of Rob Rose (possibly the greatest player in the league the two years he spent with the Sixers) was a killer for me. The dumping of McKay and Smyth didn't help him make friends either. Recruiting Jo Jo English wasn't any better.

The grind it out, defensive style is never a thing of beauty to watch and Dunlap was a master of it. The Sixers offense over his three years (especially the first two years) was sometimes very painful to watch.

But then again, he bought Cat and Rillie to Adelade. He gave Maher his first real shot at being a major player in the league.

He guided the team to one grand final apperance and two semi-finals in his three years here. People forget that the Sixers hadn't really achieved much of note in the 1990's before Dunlap came around. He changed the culture of the club (some might say in a negative way as much as a positive way) and turned things around.

Considering the appalling state of the Sixers the last 4 years, I wouldn't mind going through a Dunlap-like era again.

All in all, he's okay by me.

When has anyone said we're the best run club in the world!? I think that line detracted from an otherwise good post.

Anon, please do not insult Dunlap by comparing him to Ninnis.

I don't see Ninnis being appointed head coach at many college programs soon, except maybe Pasadena High.

At least Dunlap knows a 2 for 1 is not just a deal from Designer Direct.

I agree with the positive comments about Dunlap. He did turn this club around after things fell apart post Ken Cole. A GF and two semis in three years speaks for itself. It was a shame that he did appear to end up in conflict with his team by the end of the second year, but didn't that stem from some incident during the finals that year? My memory is hazy on that now, but I recall Blakemore losing it and Dunlap disciplining him and getting other senior guys offside.

I would be very interested to hear what Maher says about his time under Dunlap. Does he credit Dunlap with helping him develop into the player he became? Or was it more in spite of Dunlap?

Rod Popp had the same problem in Cairns as Nutwork stated. They are college coaches who have trouble with pros & egos. Popp would yell at Mike Kelly (he went on an American trip with the Marlins) the same as a rookie like Aaron Fearne. He couldn't distinguish between different people. He was the boss 7 ruled with an iron fist. Doesn't work!

We are the best run sporting club in the world.

Maher's book has the bsst summary I've read of the situation, and the above 'youth coach' posts concur.
Personally, I just found him insecure and unprofessional when surrounded by veteran players (i.e. anyone over 18 years old...).

I still have the newspaper article where Dunlap cut Rose and Boti agreed.

A decade of therapy, and I'm no closer to closure.

Really Loco? Boti agreed with cutting Rose?!?! That surprises me - Rose was still a great player at that point. Can you remember why Boti agreed?

Oh no... you really don't want to get Loco started on Dunlap and Rose. Run for the hills everyone, it's coming!!

Loco is sitting in a corner right now wering all 36 of his Rob Rose jerseys rocking back and forth.
He might be back later folks.....

Beantown, I think that was the Blakemore and Cattalini stoush in Perth?

Blakemore went to Canberra the next year if memory serves me correctly, and Catt came to us.

* continues rocking * It's going to be ok, it's going to be ok...

Adelaide were in a finals series against Perth. Tensions, as usual, were befitting of a Cats / Sixers play-off game. Blakemore had Cat on his back in the low block and threw an errant elbow which caught Cat flush - POW - right on the kisser. POW - right on the kisser.

Scuffle broke out - Blakemore was reported. Before the NBL came down on him, Dunlap made the call that Chris wouldn't fly to Perth as a discipline thing. Rob Rose in particular disagreed and the team rallied around him. Dunlap saw that as undermining and it all fell apart from there.

The article Boti wrote was entitled "Why it's time to cut the Rose". Rob ended up in Canberra with Chris and eventually some other ex-Sixers.

I went into a maniacal tail spin the like I've which I've not yet pulled out of. How I'm not wearing some sort of super villain costume and taking my revenge on society is beyond me.

For the record, Jo-Jo English would be my faithful side kick - he's not over the Fisher/Vlahov mauling in Perth either...

Actually I have a game of us v Canberra from that next season Loco, from memory Rose, Blakemore, Darnell, Hawkes perhaps all playing against us. We got flogged as well from memory.

A very kind Hoops member was nice enough to transfer all my VHS copies of games from that era to DVDs :)

Said member was also nice enough to throw in a Rob Rose singlet he had in a cupboard somewhere. Who says Torrens Valley players aren't nice? :p

That particular game is unofficially the most watched NBL game in history.









Well, the history of my living room.

May have to have a look of that list of yours Loco....

And Valley players are good blokes.

"if Jesus Christ coached the 36ers" ... What's his phone number

I remember the article Loco. I was a HUGE Rob Rose fan, and I thought that it was one of the more yellow pieces of journalism in Boti's career. He'd never had a bad word to say about Rose until he KNEW he was going to be cut. Boti's writing is typically pretty well ahead of events, not behind them, and I thought it was disgusting. Robert Rose WAS the Adelaide 36ers for the two seasons he spent here.

Dunlap achieved some pretty reasonable results in his three years here, and probably was the shot in the arm that the club needed at the time. He possibly did give Maher a starters role before he had really earned it, but that turned out to be one of the best moves in our club's history.

His failure though was with how he handled Smyth, McKay, and to a lesser extent Davis. These are guys who had achieved SO MUCH MORE in basketball than Dunlap had (or still has), yet he was treating them like kids. Dealing with college guys he wouldn't have that problem (18 year olds who have done and seen nothing).

I wonder how Maher's game would have developed if Dunlap had been here a few more years. I can't imagine he would have been a fan of the pull-up three on the one on four fast break (from memory that really only emerged under Smyth). Might not have known quite what to make of David Stiff either...

100% agree Mutley - the article was utterly out of left field, given his preceding pieces.

As Maher's book articulated, it takes a lot longer to earn the term 'Coach' in a US system - lot of disparity there.

Depends on whether Jesus brings in two quality imports ....

Re-activate Moses Malone?

Jesus at the one spot, Maher at the two. What a back court. Jesus would be dishing it out like loaves baby

Ah, its all coming back now. That rivalry with Perth was awesome. I used to be on edge every time we played those guys. I vaguely recall Blakemore being one of my favourite players at the time, but also thinking he was a bit of nob for his actions. I don't think I'd even considered the idea of a player revolt before that point in time, so I think I was a bit shell shocked at the whole thing.

Tragic that we ended up losing Rose AND Dunlap over the discipline of a player who never amounted to anything after that.

Thanks for reminding me of old times guys. Hope you don't go postal on us now Loco. Just remember, it was 14 years ago!

Sorry to disappoint btw guys, but Jesus is still playing for Boston - and yes he IS black! :D

From an outsiders perspective (Bullets Fan) I thought that he was a college coach type, as has already been stated.

From a leadership/people development perspective I thought that it was amazing how a guy like Smyth could come in with his laisse faire system, but with a belief & trust in the players & coaching staff & get immediate success. Dunlap set the system up, doing the hard hards of player development for Smyth to come in & put faith in the players as professionals & get the results.

Then on Smyth... I think he needed some x & o's towards the end because belief in the players went so far.

14 years?!? I swear it was last Thursday. What a headspin.

And now onto the North Melbourne Giants finals series...

Loco

You only know half of the story....

Dunlap actually told Blakemore to drop Cat first chance he got, then he tore strips off him to save face with the Wildcats coach.

Thats why the players rallied around Blakemore.

I was there...

Heard the same thing about this from players in the team about Blakemore being told to put Cat on his butt.
I also know someone who played at Metro State under him and said he helped him grow up. Easier to do with kids than grown men.

Anon - That was my understanding of what happened as well (I forget who told the story now though). It was part of the reason I've been so p*ssed over the whole thing. Always been 100% behind the team on that one.

Was trying to keep the post objective (besides the attempted humour).

Blakemore was my favorite player on that Sixers team. The Charles Barkley of the NBL (well maybe not entirely, but he was a round mound of rebound). I would have loved to see him involved in the Sixers success but it wasn't to be. Does anyone know what he is doing now - I reckon he finished with Canberra in about 1998 and may have made local league appearances in 1999 but I'm not sure?

Last updated Nov 2002

Thought Maher's book mentioned he was in Albury/Woodonga too? Not sure of the occupation though.

Heard the same thing about this from players in the team about Blakemore being told to put Cat on his butt.
I also know someone who played at Metro State under him and said he helped him grow up. Easier to do with kids than grown men.